the portuguese pilot steering mir leaves the bay at two pm there was less than an hour to go before the race starts tomorrow to those former starting line none of the participants in the race is allowed to cross it until a certain moment the most difficult task is to make a careful assessment of the ship's speed and direction so that she enters the stock corrido exactly on time it takes some complicated arithmetic to add up speeds and subtract minutes. yet what are they doing with you know still lingering on the top gallant sails your. little. game we need twelve knots ok that's what we've got right now sail setting aborted three minutes to go what's the distance. finally they need to shut off the engines to help the ship navigate out of port. always fail in these competitions really

otherwise they would be pointless that bit me that's why all of the engines to shut down five minutes before the start that's the rules. so with us from central control sr mechanic it's the way the brain writes now u.k. . shows the lights is about to go on that the engine is shut down the good man is now under sail we'll talk about blow for. a. while. because it was great steering we sped away from the start. mig gets off to a good start and a fair wind helps the ship pick up a speed of ten knots and take the lead the polish sailboat. pulls behind.

the four sales of the largest of all the lower one is as large as two hundred eight square metres foremast and with some other spare a great number of sales themselves the same is true of the mainsail mast all the sails on them are interchangeable a total of two hundred fourteen square meters the only exception is the mainsail mast. nicholai abram off is not just the ship's boat but also a former sub-mariner abramoff a spend the last thirty years making sails. week with this utility room here is our workshop we have one hundred sales and store all of different shapes and sizes twenty six of them are meant for masts and races while the others are kept as replacements. nicholai is the only person on board the can repair the damaged sail. sails are

torn fairly often specially by strong winds you might even say they are wounded in the battle against the elements i have especially vivid memories of one rather dramatic sail replacement that was last year when we were competing against the polish boat dharma ga we were on our way across the baltic sea from finland to poland that's when the top most sail collapsed but it took the cadets some four hours to get a new one back up all that happened to mid strong winds and torrential rain. don't touch that. again is the bosun's favorite student like all the other cadets he joined me as crew three months ago that remembers only too well the terror he felt when confronted with the prospect of climbing a fifty metre tall mainsail must. my heart sank and i

shivered all over although we didn't go very far on the last occasion. and then we had that time the boat was more to how sites in petersburg we looked up at the top of the mosque and wondered whether it was possible to receive his soul but now it's quite a routine thing for me to do. i remember the ship being caught up in the vicious still need he had during a race. sail in the gym bridge. the guys had to be sent to the far end of the bow each with safety equipment. the ways was so big. under the water several times. but that some trainees are divided into shift teams each lasting four hours with keeping watch on the deck is the most grueling task the crew can't predict what might happen on shift sometimes they sit around for four hours board but sometimes they have to constantly run from one end to the other.

for our. team. feels six. feet. below. the. field through each field. thank. you. thank. you very quickly it's more like. spring for a while when you do. this

is it me oh. my. god he's. just. you know sat on. three hundred feet. the first exchange of communications with race officials comes towards the end of the day. an hour later. participants are informed of how they're doing. with the belligerent form of the poor the report we've got assigns places in accordance with an updated coefficient of handicaps and the like as expected the polish boat. is in the lead we are in the second place both of us have an equal chance at the moment and only. the gap between the polish and russian sailboats is minuscule it all comes down to the

second phase of the race then everything will depend on the wind the poles decide to seek strong winds by taking the risk of going further south into the open sea they disappear from is view but the crew sees another vessel in its place approaching on the horizon. thank. you. where do you. think or what it was all going to show must go on. but. we did annoy people and. always. brake when i was sixteen ok back to work. politically it was also a piece of the tourists want to take our picture just because. they don't see that

many sailboats. on. the cruise liner sails off followed by the sun sliding behind the horizon the first night of the races second phase sets in the nervous tension from the start fades away life on board returns to normal cadet self shifts do what they can to vent all that pent. the energy ms current speed is twelve knots people in the captain's cabin a comforter at the sailboat is heading towards another victory. wealthy

british style. that's not on. the. markets why not scandals. find out what's really happening to the global economy in cars a report on r t. v. there will. be. yeah me and him. on the second day of the race the crew in the morning shift hasn't got a single moment to spare the wind is stronger than expected the first attempt to take down some of the sails is unsuccessful one of them is caught in the hurricane

force wind the sail will be torn apart unless it's fixed without a leg. just like we went in the back to roll up the top sail we tried to tie it to the bow so that the wind couldn't repeat upon it but we couldn't the wind is too strong it's simply too strong the crew gets control of the sails them it picks up speed to fifteen knots the ship is tilting heavily support a difficult turn for the ship still lies ahead. what are some of the past a turning point one and a half hours ago now we're heading for the finish line but there are about one hundred forty miles to go the polish boat was slightly closer to that point and therefore made a turn a bit earlier than we did but now that we are on the right side of the wind we'll try to overtake it would look like it will fit literally.

the polish boat is only a short distance ahead all ms crew needs to do is keep a speed for the first few hours after the turning point everything's going smoothly . with little and shows where we all are when the ship began three hours or so ago the bearing angle of the polish ship was something like one hundred thirty degrees now it's one hundred seventy in other words we have one back distance from the poles. but nature deals me a cruel blow the wind has died down and the ship speed instantly drops to five knots with a sails beginning to droop the bulky frigate almost comes to a halt like to pursue is trying to catch up with her another exchange with race officials confirms that mir is now trailing behind the polish ship. as we've got to shells to remedy the situation but only if there's a fair wind to help us in that case we might overtake ships with a small coefficient of fellow ahead of them in the morning that the wind has driven

them closer to us. the situation can't be remedy for the time being a strong wind is their only hope the crews whose job is taking care of the musts i will most know what to do they decide to hold the tug a little competition to try to reduce the stress brought on by the common condition . was that it was like a new sign up. was ready was ready. was. was was

was to go with the help of this instrument where it will to see the constellation of the stars in the sky that of us will normally you see this from below but right now i am looking at it from above because what was here she was on. this mission to the cadets who are not lucky enough to be involved in the tug of war go to a room where they listen to lectures on astronomy they're not very popular but attendance has mandated. you inside the age of g.p.s. satellites and internet communications these seamen to talk how to do six times determine a ship's coordinates by observing stands. in the sub is measuring how high the sun is over the horizon is easy enough good issues according to what you learned to do it after two or three lessons but also about if you want to determine the ship's

location with you need to take three different measurements at a time. the problem is that the ship will cover a large distance in the five to ten minutes it takes for the contents to do the measurements. was was . the foresail mosque team is victorious meanwhile reports of the overall race positions of the ship start coming in as for mere there is no wind in sight yet. listen for the information about the voyage first july twenty second monday lord nelson is nine thing class and twelfth overall. and the mir is second class and second overall the pelican of london is eighth sing class

and eleventh overall. the ship's galley has its own race against time when it comes to feeding almost two hundred people four times a day speed is of the essence the cooks have to work almost around the clock so in such places. like detroit to make the first tasty during a race we normally cook food separately when you have a tilt he called me good health food would be burned to the other half would end up on the floor so taking in potions is much more convenient. on the second evening of the race that steam hardly has any work to do the wind is still quite weak changing the configuration of the sails is pointless cadet project going takes time out to explain why people still like sailboats pushing you but

this is the only place where you can feel the thrill of the wind swaying you from side to side while you're up there hanging on to the mast also a sailboat promotes the spirit of comradeship it builds character and your ability to stand up to the elements of truth it's a tough job setting sail was especially hard work would end up worn out and dead tired but not for one moment to die regret it. down in the bowels of the ship away from the deck in the elements signs of normal life can be found there are two campaigns showers and lounges here in addition to courses for the cadets and cabins for the regular crew about one hundred fifty people spend several months together in these premises during the night when the fate of the years main race hangs in the balance the atmosphere here is just as calm as it always is. the crew on the bridge

follows the coordinates of mir in the polish ship its chief rival the russian sailboat is closer to shore its crew expects to cross the finish line ahead of the polish ship the result should be clear by next morning. the morning brings the long awaited wind that comes too late in the day the race is almost over. but there's one mile to go to the finish line the poles should dharma legendary came an hour ago mission hill and we should come second. they were closer to the line because they had been going a bit further south and benefited from southerly winds but they had a lead of several miles. cool on the deck is quest for the news of the defeat. or should we say three cheers for the winners would you. like.

you see yourselves. to meet you. but you should take both defeat and victory in your stride when you're. young i'm upset of course i really don't know about the others but we had a chance to win and we didn't the way that i see it today we just didn't go the right way i don't think it was the right way. we simply should have taken another route. or ability. it was a fair race after all it is foolishness the captain says. well well bound to win the next time. and they're disappointed no less but getting to this place i think will do better the next leg of the race so. good news for such as mayor and donna joshi are called windjammers veterans and it's no wonder our lives are in the wind if there is no wind we go nowhere the poles were fortunate i don't know if

it was a small stroke of luck or an educated guess they showed a slightly better performance than we did the wind is what matters. we've mears crew takes in the sails before entering the spanish port town of kid is. in accordance with tradition that parades in front of thousands of spectators on the russian and polish ships more side by side they're like two peas in a pod. the sail boats turn into floating exhibitions open to the public for a few days anyone is free to inspect them inside out i. mean

while off duty samus head into town. and. the crews of all race competitors get together at parties on lounge with snacks drinks and done so their rivals at sea shake hands secretly hoping they will emerge victorious next time and receive such congratulations on the victory. was. today is the last stop for me she will later join thirty other sailboats returning to portugal and their russian ship will follow a route of her own once again the wind and waves will be both her friends and foes on the way.

the stories that shape this week western nations ramp up calls for military intervention in syria in order to protect refugees but face criticism for aiming to help dreadfuls those fighting tactics are accused of being more crime. in assaults might have to spend from six months to a whole year at the ecuadorian embassy in london the whistleblower makes a forecast during a rare interview saying he hopes for a diplomatic resolution to the standoff. plus no longer an outcast iran refutes minutes of its international isolation by hosting a profile summit attended by leaders and senior politicians from hundred countries despite opposition from washington. and the clients of the oligarchs

russian business tycoon mortgage wins any multibillion dollar battle with fellow countrymen bodies to be dissolved skied in the london court and the case full of accusations of dirty dealings and threat. hello and welcome to our team this sunday i'm karen tara broadcasting to you live from our studio in moscow where it's two o'clock well western powers have pushed this week for setting up foreign protected safe zones in syria it's a move that would effectively mean armed intervention give an opposition to the idea from russia and china britain has hinted for nations quote act without the un's approval it's been argued the buffer zones are needed to help syrian refugees but some experts believe those behind the initiative are pursuing other interests

in the first place. it's a pretext it's still another way to divide and take over the country using the united nations as your vehicle is unfortunately a repetition of what happened in libya where we have the united nations being used to promote war instead of promote case that playbook worked in libya they want to try the same playbook and though it doesn't work anymore there is no desire by the west nato to have a negotiated settlement the oldest purpose of this exercise is to make sure that there is no competition in the middle east for pipelines such as by way of syria iran and other places all these other things are excuses there to claim that they care one bit about humanitarian concerns as it is a gross war a rebel fighters say that foreign powers coming in and establishing a no fly zone over syria would significantly help them in their fight against assad's government meanwhile the tactics employed by the opposition on the ground

are raising even more questions it's artie's lucy cough and i found out it was another disturbing example of the many atrocities committed throughout the syrian war a truck bomb with homemade explosives headed for a checkpoint to the entrance of syria's largest city. you know love what i do but the men that are loading it aren't assad forces they're one of the many groups fighting under the banner of the free syrian army and their captive is said to be a member of the should be a militia with a very close ties to the outside government the video filmed by the new york times and turn into an on air segment by the b.b.c. captured what human rights groups called evidence of an attempted murder a potential war crime under international law review of rebels from the free syrian army trying to use a prisoner as an unwitting suicide bomber in their attacks on government forces and the cameras didn't follow the prisoner who had no idea that while being blindfolded he was actually embarking on a suicide mission he simply thought that he was being given his freedom the very

next morning he was said to have escaped after the bombs failed to detonate and the b.b.c. had aired the story on august twenty second but this glimpse into the darker side of some of the tactics now being used in the uprising never aired again the story was also pulled from the b.b.c. website the network told me that this was due to copyright issues and this very video raises the question about whether such tactics may be more widespread among the opposition than what has been previously documented they have yet to draw the same level of scrutiny as the crimes committed by the government were challenged in syria is met with more whether by the government or the rebels the violence seems to be the name of the game and he further shatters the prospects for peace agreement reality for the civilians caught in this bitter war lucie county now for r.t. and moscow although it's still unclear who exactly forms the fragmented syrian opposition western governments are keen to help them seize power in the conflict torn country france has asked assad opponents to form

a provisional government promising to recognize it as the legitimate representative of the new syria the analysis of what could be behind the suggestion by paris and its potential implications his online article. so innocence once again broke his silence giving his first interview since being granted political asylum by ecuador talking to a pair latin american t.v. network the whistleblower defended the wiki leaks calls pointing out that no one was hurt as a result of publications on the website something that cannot be said about america's actions in iraq and afghanistan which it exposed also lashed out at the u.s. for its overwhelming surveillance practices and what he called a global spy network implemented via google this the wiki leak or believes is leading to transnational totalitarianism but the public in the west increasingly

influenced by press manipulation speaking about his own future has been holed up in the ecuadorian embassy in london for over two months now said it might take from six months to a year for him to become a free man paul within from the u.k. is independence party told r.t. that a science might be right to count on sweden eventually dropping a case against him i don't see. a very quick resolution to this unfortunately for our coffers the. police weren't under enough pressure with all the other police having to do it would be a lympics of everything else at the moment. but i don't see your resolution or your william hague will stop threatening to storm the ecuadorian embassy which i think he was very foolish to even hint to regionally but we might come to some arrangement with the ecuadorians i don't know but i think the most likely thing is that sweden will realize that they've created by not sending a prosecutor to to talk.